1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to emergency resuscitation of unconscious people, and more particularly to apparatus and a method of use for such purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many emergency situations in which it is necessary to provide artificial ventilation or cardio-pulmonary resuscitation for an unconscious person. It is preferred that an artificial airway be established as promptly as possible in order to avoid the possibility of choking and the necessity for mouth-to-mouth respiration. Some devices for this purpose are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,908 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,319 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,361, and British Pat. No. 1,288,033. These devices are intended for entry into the esophagus, with the inflation of a cuff in the esophagus to preclude passage of air into the stomach and discharge of contents of the stomach, and thus enable the supplying of air to the trachea. Of course they require the sealing of nasal and oral passageways, so as to avoid loss of air from either of these locations. This is normally accomplished by a mask surrounding the esophageal tube.
These devices can cause particular problems in the event the esophageal tube enters the trachea, instead of the esophagus. They can either interfere with respiration or totally preclude it, and the intubation error must be noted promptly to avoid disastrous results. Of course, this depends upon the skill of the user of the device and, such skills are not always readily available in emergency situations, even where the apparatus is available. The present invention is addressed to overcoming this problem of the prior art devices.